Published at 16th of February 2024 2:24 pm

Chapter 53. Dating The Enemy

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“What would you like to be called once you’re officially my apprentice?” Nox asked.

“What’s wrong with Alex?” The gang leader asked, awkwardly tugging at her collar. Aisha had purchased blouses, skirts, neckwear, and boots for her to wear once she started her apprenticeship. A third of her gang—namely the youngest and disabled—had just departed with the latest Edelweiss vessel, and she wore her new clothes to see them off.

“It’ll get confusing once you move into your quarters full-time. Everyone has known Alexander since the shop opened, and they like calling him Alex. I’m not asking you to change your name. I just thought another identifier might be nice since you’re leaving your old life behind.”

“My birth name is Alexandrea Ingrid Eriksson. I’m not married to it and don’t have any documentation with it. The little ones couldn’t say it, so we settled on Alex. If you’d rather call me something else, there are quite a few names to pick from. The little ones have called me all sorts of things over the years. Alex, Alexa, Andrea, Andy. Take your pick.”

“Is that a northern name?” Hesitant to broach the topic. Most people in her situation had long, sad stories that they didn’t always like reliving.

“Wildfolk. Wildlings. Free Folk. I don’t care what you call them. I was still a baby when the Imperium chased my mother south. I barely remember my mother’s face and the clan even less.”

“Do you remember what she called you?” Nox asked. “I shed my birth name long ago. I stuck with Nox because it's what my father called me. How about Ingrid? I hear Free-Folk women inherit their middle names from their mother or grandmother.”

“I think I’d like that,” Ingrid answered, smiling. “So when does this apprenticeship start?”

“Didn’t you want to wait until the gang has left the city?”

“It’s mostly the older kids left. They can take care of them, and I’m using the money you gave me to keep the remaining little ones sheltered and fed.”

“Well, your diction and speaking skills have improved a fair bit since we last met. How’s your reading and writing?”

“I sometimes—” Ingrid hesitated. “It’s impossible to stay on the right side of the law when you grow up on the streets. Conning merchants isn’t easy when you can’t read or write. They’re always happy to hire pretty little blonde girls and groom them. I used the opportunity to pick up skills beyond just basic literacy.”

“Very well. You’ll find books on runes and cantrips in your new room. We can start once you’ve learned enough to test your aptitudes.”

After watching the Edelweiss airship fly past the city’s outermost wall, Nox and Ingrid left the university air docks. They visited Kris before returning to the store. The professor appeared displeased with Nox for taking an apprentice without speaking to her first, but she didn’t vocalize her thoughts. Instead, Ingrid received a tepid welcome.

Nox was sure Kris would question Nox’s decision-making at a later date. A more tested individual would probably make for a better apprentice. Most mages checked potential students’ innate mana sensing and control abilities first. Meanwhile, Nox had gone ahead with an apprenticeship contract with neither. Ingrid had only just learned to detect arcane energies and mostly developed the cloud in her core by accident.

After their adventures in the Edelweiss lands, Nox asked Kris why she picked him as her first apprentice. She claimed seeing something special and wasted potential. He had a hunger and desperation, which made him perfect for the war against the gods. The unique behavior of his Slow cantrip intrigued her the most. Nox was an experiment to some extent.

Ingrid had a specialness to her, too. Surviving on the streets was hard enough. Young women, and especially pretty girls, faced threats at every corner. Ingrid didn’t just thrive but conquered a gang full of teenage boys, kept them in line, and kept the vulnerable protected and fed. Nox had no plans to take the child into dungeons. Instead, he wanted someone who could take care of his affairs and protect his staff when delves or distant projects took him away from the city. Ingrid was the perfect candidate for such a role.

Thanks to Dean Woodson’s involvement in the Edelweiss’ deal with the city council, the gate guards hadn’t stopped Nox or the urchins when he led them onto campus. Now, they nodded at him and Ingrid as they entered Market Ring. He had also visited the delving department’s administration, and Ingrid now had the necessary credentials to see him on campus. Nox planned on using the permissions to take Ingrid to the libraries and training rooms. They’d help accelerate her training.

Nox was greeted with a smiling face when he returned to Ratra’s Knightly Brews. It wasn’t Aria but Swati. Three days remained until the Singh’s party. He accepted her invitation once classes started, and they had plans to go shopping.

“I can’t put in words how much you surprised Harin,” she told him as they walked towards the nicer part of Market Ring. Swati held his arm around the bicep and spoke much too close to Nox’s ear for his liking. “He accepted the fact that you won’t join his party some time ago. Harin wrote you off as an acquaintance and perhaps a friendly artisan. The blighted fool didn’t think I’d ever win you over. I bet he’s seething right now.”

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“Did you tell him about our date?” Nox asked.

Swati shook her head. “My mother and his aunt meet for tea four times a week, though, and they tell each other everything. I had her do it for me.”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what’s your relationship, exactly?”

“The Singhs are distant cousins on my mother’s side,” Swati answered, shrugging. “I think one of his great-aunts a few times removed married an ancestor. Our parents tried to get us together, so any children I have would be Singhs. We pretty much grew up as siblings and weren’t interested in such a relationship. We’re distant enough, so it wouldn’t exactly be incest, and our kids won’t have any problems, but it just felt wrong, you know?”

“At least they didn’t force you,” Nox said. “I hear a lot of that happens in the Imperium.”

“They seem to like to keep it in the family. Sibling marriage has been illegal for a few decades, but first cousins are fair game.” Swati grimaced, making an amusing disgusted face. “The thought alone makes my stomach turn.”

“While we’re on the topic of Harin, I sensed all isn’t good between the two of you. Did something happen that led to you leaving his party?”

“Harin is a decent man, but he prioritizes his house’s glory over all else,” Swati answered. “A dear friend lost a leg and kidney because of him while we were away last semester. I’ve had many close calls because of Harin’s obsession, too. In several other instances, he’s put the Singhs before friendships and what I’d consider decency. So, I think it's best we part ways. My mother isn’t happy about it, but it's not up to her. Is it my turn to get some honest answers out of you?”

“Of course. I’m a mostly open book. What do you want to know? Gedge and Mercer secrets? My relationship with the Oakhearts?”

Swati shook her head. “What did Aria Edelweiss think of us attending the Singh ball together.”

“Does she really need to know?” Nox asked. “We’re neither engaged nor promised to each other. I told her that I needed to attend alone for the sake of the business, and she accepted. Is that a problem?”

“Not if there is no commitment or promises. You’re a desirable bachelor and should consider your options before making an important life decision. But you should know that I won't stand for such behavior if you leave Aria and we get together. I’ll expect some sort of promise and loyalty.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The Edelweisses are using me for my alchemical talents and growing fame.”

“And you’re using them for sponsorship and business connections.” Swati completed the thought for him.

“Precisely. If they think there is something more between us, that’s on them.”

“Shrewd businessman. Talented alchemist. Skilled delver and mage. Now you turn out to be a cold tactician and social climber, too?” Swati laughed. “We’re perfect for each other. If it weren’t for your business, I’d tell you to come with me to Daksinsthan once the semester ends. You need to know your ancestral land and understand why arcane artisanry is so precious to us.”

“Perhaps sometime in the future when the business doesn’t need me as much. The last time I left the shop for a few days, a competitor firebombed us.” Nox sighed. “I’ll admit, it's something I’ve always wanted to do. I want to visit the lands my aunt told me about. No one has heard from or seen the Ratras besides her or my father in decades, but I’d like to try to find some of them.”

“Well. The offer stands. If you find someone reliable to take care of your affairds, join me. I doubt you’ll want to come back.”

Relief washed over Nox when his date didn’t drag him to a barber or beauty salon. He had shaved and got his hair cut the day before the date to avoid such an eventuality. However, he worried about meeting the affluent woman’s standards and feared she would want him pruned and tweezered. The women in his life often commented on Nox’s wild, unkempt hair. Apparently, he never let it get obnoxiously long, but enough to bother them. Now that Nox was a businessman and needed to meet clients frequently, he resolved to get into the habit of staying well-groomed.

First, Swati took Nox to a seamstress. It was the same store he visited with Annabelle during the previous semester. The shop attendants and seamstress didn’t say whether they recognized him. Instead, they brought out fabric, design examples, and stitching samples. Nox didn’t understand half the words the two women said and left all the decisions to them. He only spoke up when they presented options before him and let the assistants take his measurements.

Shopping with Swati wasn’t as terrible as Nox expected. She spent far more time exploring options and made him try on unnecessary pieces before doing the same herself. However, the banter made the experience bearable.

In the end, they settled on a humble but classy Imperium suit in dark blue with a bright pink shirt underneath. Swati picked an azure tie to go with it and ordered a gown that used a similar color palette. Afterward, she dragged Nox to a Daksinsthani tailor and had him purchase a few ethnic outfits as well.

Swati and Nox ate lunch in a restaurant owned by her family. It served traditional food from Ruipur. The spice levels were higher than what Nox was used to, but he enjoyed the dishes nonetheless. They ranged from steamed cakes made with fermented rice and lentils to spicy goat curries and fish cooked in banana leaves with mustard and coconut. The preparations left Nox’s eyes watering. Sweat dampened his brow and back. However, he couldn’t stop eating. The food was almost addictive.

“I don’t know what your aunt cooked for you, but the Ratra’s are from a region just south of us. I imagine your ancestors ate similar food. The area is famous for its dairy. So, perhaps they dilute the heat with more milk than we do in Ruipur.”

“Mou uses a lot of cream and butter in her cooking,” Nox commented. “It certainly isn’t as spicy as this. Her children love heat, but her husband is of Imperian origins and can’t handle it.”

“Most of the ingredients the restaurant and perhaps your aunt use probably come from across the Sapphire Straits. No amount of magic and alchemy can preserve freshness during a journey that long. If you want a real taste of your ancestors’ food—”

“I’ll need to visit Daksinsthan. I get it.” Nox laughed. “Once my business has adequately grown and needs me less, I’ll certainly take you up on the offer. Just not yet.”

The pair also visited a cobbler after their meal and ordered matching footwear for the party. Swati also wanted to get Nox traditional shoes, but he successfully talked her down. It irked Nox when she got handsy and kissed him but played along for the sake of the ruse. He needed Swati to be happy and enamored for the plan to work.

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